Just a Scratch
by alindy
Summary: "You owe me so much, you know, I really saved your life. You could've died from blood loss," she joked. "Don't worry, we can work some way out for me to repay you," he answered. Charlie gets a bloody nose and Hermione nurses him back to health. .:.TE Love Hurts July Monthly Challenge


"I swear on my mother's grave, George," Hermione threatened, "if you _ever_ say such crass things again I will punch you in the face so hard that-"

"Hi, Hermione," Harry coughed, bringing her attention to the large group she hadn't seen. She awkwardly turned away from George and brought her pointed finger down to her side as she noticed that all the Weasley children stood in front of her as well as Fleur and Lavender. Feeling slightly self-conscious, she pulled the winter coat tighter around herself. She had most certainly yelled at George in front of large groups before, but there was something about the fact that it was his family that made her feel uncomfortable about it.

"Hello...what are we all doing out here? I'm guessing some kind of meeting or game?" Hermione guessed, shifting from face to face.

"George, what exactly did you say to her? Because it doesn't sound like you invited her out here like you were meant to," Ginny spoke up.

"Well," he smirked, "all I said was-"

Suddenly alarmed, Hermione ran over to him, covering his mouth and smiling at the group. "So, what are we playing?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Bill informed her.

"Hermione," Charlie spoke to her from the spot next to her. "I would advise you to take your hand off of George's mouth before he-"

Hermione squealed. "Did you just lick my hand? You licked my hand! What are you? Five-years-old!"

"-does that," Charlie finished.

"Give or take a few years," George smiled at them. "Now, if you'd like to listen, I have something we can do."

"Please," Bill sarcastically spoke up, "don't keep us on the edge of our seats."

"Ok, we used to play this at Hogwarts all the time. It's a little like hide-and-go-seek, but everyone has a partner and there's no designated seeker. You get a minute to run and then you either hide or try to find other pairs. If you find another group you magic a pile of snow to fall on them and the last group surviving that doesn't end up hit by snow wins."

"Fine with me," Harry spoke.

"I'm in."

"Me too."

"Will this ruin my hair?"

As soon as the words were out in the air, everyone burst. Laughter erupted into the air and the area echoed with loud noise. "What?" Lavender exclaimed, attempting to defend herself. In an attempt to avoid hurting her feelings, everyone made an effort to calm down. Covering her hand over her mouth, Ginny initiated. "Should we pair off?" Silently pairs moved toward each other. Ron walked to Harry's side, Ginny ran over and jumped on George's back, and Bill grabbed Fleur's hand. Hermione was suddenly worried that she would be stuck with Percy, but Charlie spoke up, "Partners?"

"Most definitely," she smiled at him as Lavender walked over to Percy.

"Minute starts now," George yelled.

"Woods," Charlie and Hermione both turned to the other, simultaneously yelling. Everyone ran in different directions, pushing through the hard snow and trying to get to safety. Hermione and Charlie ran together, only stopping once they were far enough into the woods they were sure no one else was close to them. Once it was agreed they were safe for the time being, they recovered their breaths, Hermione leaning against a tree and Charlie straight across from her.

"Thanks," she said.

"For what?"

"For being my partner. Everyone always tries to make me play but then they never want to actually be my partner or on my team, so, thanks," she explained. Hermione looked at him, smiling as the heavy breath heaved her chest up and down. She meant it too. How many times had she been asked to play Quidditch and when she eventually said yes (mostly to just get everyone to shut up for a while) she was the odd number that the teams didn't feel like accepting?

"Really, it's to _my _advantage. I got the smartest girl for a game that's all strategy," as he talked a smile broke across his face and Hermione realized she had never noticed how good of a smile he had. Unable to contain her own smile, she let her grin go. She realized that for as long as she had known Charlie, she really didn't _know_ him. She knew small tidbits and useless facts, but they would be more quickly classified as acquaintances than friends. Even with this, though, he was being unnecessarily kind to her.

Having an idea, Hermione's grin broadened. "Do you want to win this thing?"

"Why not," he responded. "The rest of them don't even have a chance."

* * *

"Where do you think they would have gone?" Ginny questioned George.

They walked side by side, their feet crunching in the snow they walked on. Having already taken down two groups (Percy and Lavender as well as Harry and Ron), they were feeling fiercely competitive. Even though it was only a game, they had both gotten in the mindset that winning was everything. George had already vowed to never speak to her again if they lost. Though Ginny wasn't quite sure she should believe it seeing as he had been attempting a cartwheel at the time.

"I heard them both yell forest," he answered.

"Do you think they have a plan?" she replied.

"This is Hermione and Charlie we are talking about, potentially two of the most competitive and strategic people we know. If they didn't have a plan than I would be worried."

Before another word could be said, snow came tumbling all around Ginny and George. It descended upon them in white sheets so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face and the impact was so strong they both slid to the ground. Laughter flew down to them, one masculine and one feminine voice, both coming from above them.

"The tree! How did we not think of the trees?" Ginny groaned.

"You're playing against the two most competitive players," Hermione joked, "you had to be prepared for something like this."

Charlie and Hermione precariously climbed down the tree, one slippery branch at a time. As Hermione reached the ground, she heard a clatter and abruptly looked up. Charlie had made it almost to the ground, but the thin powdery layer of snow on the branch had caused him to slip, lose his footing, and fall to the ground. Both George and Ginny burst out into laughter, rolling from their place on the ground. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, trying to contain her laughter as she moved closer to him.

"Charlie, are you ok?" she asked.

"He's fine, Hermione," George chortled. "Calm down."

As soon as the words came out of George's mouth, Hermione noticed the red that began spreading through the white snow around the location of Charlie's face in the snow. "Charlie!" Hermione ran over and turned him over to hear him groaning and laughing at himself simultaneously. Blood gushed out of his nose and Hermione attempted to help hoist him up.

"I haven't gotten a bloody nose in forever," he said.

"We should get in the house and clean you up," Hermione suggested.

"Let the man continue playing," George shook his hand at her. "Just a scratch."

"Shut up, George. I take it back, that wasn't a suggestion. Charlie, we're going inside," she responded as she helped get Charlie off the ground and they walked away from the other pair.

"I like feisty Hermione," Charlie told her, it coming out slightly muffled because he was trying to stop the bleeding coming from his nose.

"Well, not many people do," she laughed.

"It's a little bit like a dragon."

"Oh, gee, thanks. I'm sure most girls _love_ being compared to a dragon."

"You're not most girls, Granger," he smiled at her.

"Ok, Casanova, walk up the stairs and get inside so we can get you fixed up."

Hermione led him up the stairs and into the house. She immediately made him sit and went to retrieve a wet towel from the kitchen to clean his face with. When she came back to the dining room table, she stopped and watched him for a second. His eyes were closed, his head leaned against his shoulder, and he looked like he was deep in thought. As she stared at him in his peaceful state, she couldn't deny what she had been thinking all day.

Charlie Weasley was a type of good-looking that was dangerous. His face and shirt were both full of blood and even then he was ridiculously handsome; he looked the slightest bit like a bad boy and tough in a way that made girls drool. Where Ron, Percy, and Bill were all lanky limbs and tall bodies, Charlie was toned muscle and tan skin.

"You're staring at me," he broke the silence.

"No- no I'm not," she stuttered, moving toward him and mentally smacking herself on the forehead.

"I'm trained to listen intently. When you're around dragons, the slightest noise can make the biggest difference."

"Are you going to miss the dragons now that you moved back?" she asked as she began dabbing at his face, changing the subject.

"I don't know," he shrugged, either missing or ignoring the conversation change. "I won't miss being burned."

"Neither will your mother."

"_That_ is true. I can't tell you how excited she was when she found I was coming back. She told me all about how she can help find me a nice woman so we can get married and have kids."

"Don't complain to _me_ about that. You've been gone for a while, but ever since Lavender and Ron became "official" your mother has become increasingly worried that I will never become an official Weasley."

"I've noticed the subtle comments at family dinners, except my mother is about as subtle as dragon's fire," Charlie stated, wincing suddenly.

"Sorry," she told him. "All done now anyway. You're all cleaned up. No break, just a bit bloody and it'll most likely bruise, which your mother will hate."

"I can't just go easy on her now that I'm old," he replied and she snorted. "What?"

"You said you're old."

"I am."

"No, you really aren't," she laughed. "You aren't as tough as you want people to believe, are you, Weasley?"

"You'll never know, love," he smirked.

"Challenge accepted," she answered with a silly smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye.

"You could have easily used a scourgify for my bloody nose outside," he spoke abruptly.

"Yes, I could've," she replied, the smile morphing into the smallest of smirks. The truth sat between them. The fact that Hermione could have easily done a spell that would have taken less than seconds to clean him up and then they would have been on their way, back in the game. Instead she had pulled him inside, she had _wanted _to, but Charlie hadn't called her out on it either. They had both purposefully escaped the group to unnecessarily spend time with the other.

"What did George say to you that was so crude it got you outside?" Charlie asked, breaking the silence.

"No, you don't get to know."

"Really? Please, you have to tell me," Charlie pleaded.

"I really don't."

"Haven't you ever heard that keeping secrets in isn't healthy? I'm really just trying to help you out."

"I'm never going to tell you."

"Challenge accepted," he mimicked Hermione. She glared at him for several seconds but leaned in anyways, whispering in his ear. "You dirty girl," he chuckled when she was finished.

"You never get to repeat that to anyone ever again in your entire life. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am. So was any of that true?"

"Charlie!"

"I'm just curious. Does your body really bend like that and how does _George_ know?" Charlie asked, purposefully taking pleasure in the uncomfortable situation he was creating. He didn't really mean any of it or believe that it was true, but he enjoyed getting her riled up. Hermione blushed and glared again, the stony expression taking over her face.

"Charlie, don't. I'm not going to answer your questions, you perv," she responded.

"You just have to tell me if the story with the guy in his 30's is true."

"Is that story about you and that girl from the reserve true?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to revel in Charlie's awkward feelings about the subject matter. She smirked at him in return and Charlie spoke, "Touché, Granger."

"You owe me so much, you know, I really saved your life. You could've died from blood loss," she joked.

"Don't worry, we can work some way out for me to repay you," he answered in response.

All of a sudden noise erupted on all sides and the door slammed against the wall, completely breaking the moment. Everyone entered the house, sitting themselves down and laughing at the now completed game as their wet clothes dripped to the ground and created small puddles on the floor that Mrs. Weasley was going to be upset about later.

"Who won?" Hermione spoke up.

"Ginny and George," Harry told her.

"Oh, really? Is that so?" she met eyes with them both, who in turn both goofily smirked back at her. This was their private joke, that they had lost the game but taken the spot of the team who had beaten them without permission until they had won the game themselves.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ron said.

"No reason."

"I have to change out of this bloody shirt, literally," Charlie stood up. He bent down by Hermione's chair and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're trying to stir trouble, you prat," she whispered.

"Always." Charlie stood back up and spoke so everyone could hear, "Thanks, love."

"You're welcome."

Charlie walked toward the door before turning around and smiling. "Are you free Friday, Hermione? I'll pick you up at eight for our date, you know, to repay you."

Hermione wanted to smile funnily at the same time that she wanted to call him a name that would make her mother cringe. She knew he wasn't just doing this to be a jerk, that either way he would've asked her, but he was trying to be a git by doing it in front of everyone. "I'll be ready, Weasley."

"Can't wait."

And then Charlie was gone and silence took over. Sixteen curious eyes were all on her. "Hermione?" Ginny questioned. "What exactly happened when you were inside with Charlie?"

Hermione smiled. She didn't plan on saying anything, she didn't even really know how to respond to that, but she did know one thing that she was most definitely not going to tell anyone. Maybe George's vulgar sentences had gotten one thing right.

Maybe she did like older guys.

* * *

**This is my entry for Twin Exchange Love Hurts July Challenge. I had fun writing it so I hope you had fun reading it (:**


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